Quick and Dirty Mini Trimaran project

[Owly055]

     My canoe came home trashed after loaning it to friends for their kids to use.  They didn't secure it and the wind took it.  Aluminum gunnels ripped off, front and rear deck which are aluminum ready to fall off...... It was all riveted to the fiberglass.  Several large impact breaks, rivets pulled out everywhere, seats gone.  It's just a shell, and a damaged one.   It was a hundred dollar beater 20 years ago, so I'm not shedding a lot of tears.

     I sawed off the stern and will install a transom.  I plan to remove most of the high curved bow except about the bottom 6", and angle back up to the gunnels creating more of a pointy nose.    Bulkhead will be installed about 56" aft of the bow, and another the same distance forward of the transom, to support the akas (beams).  The area forward of the forward bulkhead will be decked with an inverted V deck to shed water.  The boat will have no sheer when I get done with it.  Bulkheads will incorporate beams that extend outward to around 6' or a bit less, and the actual akas (beams) that go to the amas (outriggers) will be separate, and be bolted to these beams such that they can be folded up or removed easily for transport.   The beams will also be a combing, and will connect to an outer combing on each side running fore and aft.  The beams and combings will support side decks about 16" wide, which will be 1/4" plywood with fiberglass on the bottom, the top sealed with epoxy.  These will join the sides of the canoe and be filleted in and glassed to it, serving as seating, gunnel / reinforcing, and other structural functions.   The mast will be just aft of the forward bulkhead, and will carry a fair size but low aspect ratio junk rig sail using the aerojunk system.    The amas (outriggers) will be very light, built from 1/8" cedar strips on the lower portion like a cedar strip canoe, the upper portion being doped fabric except for a plywood step for mooring convenience.  I may use straight grain Douglas Fir if I can find suitable stock........... The idea being to keep it cheap and simple.   Over all beam will be about 10', length about 16', and the outriggers (amas) will be full length.

     A wrecked canoe is an "opportunity" in this case rather than a liability.............


                                                      H.W.

[Owly055]

    As I move forward on this project, I'm faced with choosing a suitable finish.   I'll have to sand away much of the cracked and crazed gelcoat, and repair the two pretty substantial breaks, and achieve some sort of decent finish.   The boat was made in a female mold with a layer of gelcoat, and a fairly thing  layer of chopper gun applied glass, followed by a hand layup of a single layer of very heavy woven glass cloth.  The chopper applied glass where it is exposed looks "dry".   I will have to sand or grind through the gel coat where my side decks are filleted and glassed into the sides of the canoe sort of like stitch and glue, and of course at my transom and newly shaped bow.  It all looks like a lot of work, applying glass and polyester resin, sanding smooth, and finishing.   
     Any suggestions on a rugged, presumably two part finish to substitute for gel coat that will not "break the bank"...........

     I've decided to do an ultra simple wood and doped fabric construction on the amas (outriggers), using heat shrinkable dacron, and aircraft dope, followed by glass mat on the bottom for abrasion, and probably finished with the same paint I use on the main hull. 

     The design is evolving every day, though the actual work has barely begun.    Side decks will extend only between the beams that support the amas, leaving enough room aft to paddle with a canoe or kayak paddle from the stern.  The sail plan is being gradually revised to get the most for the least, and make it simple to handle.  It will end up with only 3 lines, the halyard, topping lift, and main sheet(s).   A downhaul may be necessary, time will tell.   The cage style battens will be used as in the photo below, but without the truncated top Pete used.  The yard  will be straight rather than a cage style, with ties to the batten to govern sail shape, and I'll probably to the same at the bottom.  Probably 5 panels total.   I have some other ideas as well...........

                                                             H.W.

[CapnK]

Might as well throw a set of foils on there, like a Moth... ;)

Actually, that'd be badass.  8) :o  ;D